Washington doesn’t exactly have the best track record with reality shows. DC Cupcakes has a singularly intense following (well, intense enough to get them a second season, anyway), but our versions of Real Housewives and Real World both aired with dismal ratings.
That’s why we’re rooting for the pilot local boutique Sassanova filmed last week at its Georgetown and Bethesda locations. Co-owner Sassy Jacobs tells us she, partner Sarah Cannova, and their employees worked with producer Colby Gaines (co-producer of the History Channel’s Pawn Stars) and a crew from Back Roads Entertainment on three days of filming. The initial concept is similar to TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress. Customers come in with “emergency” shoe and accessory situations, and Jacobs, Cannova, and staff solve them. Considering this casting call was posted to Hitched bridal salon’s blog earlier this month, we’ve got a feeling these “emergencies” are about as real as Kim Kardashian’s love for Kris Humphries, but we’re pretty okay with that. After all, what’s a reality show without a little prefabricated drama?
As with DC Cupcakes, the focus of Sassanova’s “sizzle reel” (TV speak for the mini pilot Back Roads will send out as a teaser to major networks) stays on the store, not on the women’s personal lives.
“It’s definitely not like Real Housewives,” says Jacobs. “It’s more about women and business and shoes.”
Unfortunately for DC reality show addicts (do those even exist?), this is just the beginning stages of Sassanova’s long road to reality TV smash hit. Now that the initial sizzle reel has been shot, the producers have to edit down the footage and start shopping the concept around to major networks. There’s no guarantee anyone will bite, but Jacobs says she has confidence in the producer’s Emmy-winning track record.
“It’s not like this is a done deal by any stretch,” the shop owner says. “But it’d bring amazing business to the store.”
Sarah is the Editor-in-Chief of Washingtonian Bride & Groom, and writes about weddings, fashion, and shopping. Her work has also appeared in Refinery29, Bethesda Magazine, and Washington City Paper, among others. She is a Georgetown University graduate, lives in Columbia Heights, and you can find her on Instagram at @washbridegroom and @sarahzlot.
